The Baltimore Orioles promoted top catching prospect Samuel Basallo to the major leagues before Sunday’s game against the Houston Astros. The 21-year-old went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in the eighth inning for his first hit and runs batted in. His promotion comes two weeks before the roster expansion, finally joining Adley Rutschman behind the plate.
Bbm Delmarva Shorebirds Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
Basallo has been the Orioles’ top prospect for all of 2025 and their second-ranked in 2024 behind second baseman Jackson Holliday. The team currently sits at a 0.1% chance to make the playoffs, making Basallo’s promotion purely for his development. For 2026, the 21-year-old is not only pivotal for the team’s chances, but he could be the reason why they finally make a deep playoff run.
Samuel Basallo’s first MLB hit for the @Orioles!
At 21 years and 4 days old, baseball’s No. 8 prospect is the youngest position player to appear in a big league game this season. pic.twitter.com/zKkDdwLRdh
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 17, 2025
Newest Oriole Samuel Basallo Holds a Powerful Bat
On the surface, Basallo’s stat line shows he is an effective hitter who is more than ready to take on the major leagues. At Triple-A, the 21-year-old hit a .270/.377/.966 with 23 home runs. At the same time, he also saw a decline in his strikeout rate with a serious jump in his walk rate to nearly 15%.
The metrics, however, tell a better story for Basallo. In Triple-A, he ranked in the 90th percentile or better in most metrics, including barrel percentage and hard hit percentage. He struggled with a high chase rate at 33% with a whiff rate at 30%, both in the bottom half. At the same time, his walk rate ranked in the 75th percentile of all Triple-A batters.
Basallo had 20 HR in 419 AB in 2023.
19 HR in 479 AB last year.21 HR in 236 AB this year as a 20-year-old in Triple-A.
— The Verge- An Orioles MiLB Podcast (@TheVergePod) August 3, 2025
He also seems to have an excellent ability to identify pitches and hit them hard. Across the eight different pitches he’s seen, he has an expected batting average of over .250 against six of them. The only pitches he struggles with are curveballs and splitters. Still, he has a hard-hit percentage over 40% for each pitch.
Basallo’s bat offers not only power, but also much-needed on-base opportunities for a team that slumped offensively. None of the players have hit over 20 home runs, while All-Star Ryan O’Hearn, who led the team’s on-base percentage, is now with the San Diego Padres. If he can keep playing at that same level, he’ll likely become a suitable designated hitter for the time being.
Could Replace Mountcastle at First
Despite being billed as a catcher, Basallo ran into a wall with his fielding this year. After consistently putting up 20 to 30% caught stealing rates, he only hit 13% of base stealers in the minors this year. While he did only allow one passed ball, the decline in his arm prompted some more playing time at first base, where he committed no errors.
It also doesn’t help that Adley Rutschman isn’t going anywhere, despite his down 2025 season. The 27-year-old also held a caught stealing rate of 23.4%, with one passed ball as well. He’s also been improving at the position overall, going from eight errors in 2022 to only two in 2025.
This leaves only two options for Basallo, one of them being first base. Ryan Mountcastle still has two years of control left, but his power has been declining significantly. After hitting 33 home runs in 2021, that number has slowly declined to four in 2025, along with metrics suggesting he’s hitting more ground balls than ever. It might be time for a change at the position if it doesn’t improve.
Of course, the second option is to place Basallo as a designated hitter. With O’Hearn no longer on the team, there is a major hole at the position for 2026. Jordan Westburg likely will not take that spot, while Coby Mayo could also fight for a spot at first base. With his lack of speed, defensive questions, and a potential logjam at first, this could be where Samuel Basallo spends the majority of his early years with the Orioles.
Main Photo Credit: © Erik Williams-Imagn Images
The post How the Newest Oriole Can Boost the Team in 2026 appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.